Kevin Durant found himself at the center of the NBA’s 2025-26 opening-night drama on October 21 when he attempted to call a timeout his team no longer possessed—a slip instantly compared to Chris Webber’s famous 1993 mistake. Unlike Webber, Durant escaped penalty because the officiating crew failed to notice the signal, leaving the court and fans in immediate confusion.
The uncalled technical foul became the evening’s flash point, with commentators and players questioning how the referees missed the request in a nationally televised game meant to launch the new season. Social media erupted within minutes, replaying Durant’s gesture and revisiting Webber’s NCAA title-game blunder three decades earlier.
The league had not issued an official statement on the incident by the final horn, but the missed call is expected to be reviewed under standard NBA procedure for crunch-time officiating errors.
Source: New York Post
